Goe: USA Track & Field and the TFAA are talking about the Albuquerque DQs, and that is good for everybody

In
a victory for all concerned, USA Track & Field has agreed to a March 10 meeting
with the Track & Field Athletes
Association to discuss the procedure for protests and appeals of results at
championships track meets.

TFAA president Adam Nelson said Tuesday
in a text message the meeting probably would be conducted by conference call,
and he expected USATF CEO Max Siegel and chairman and president Stephanie
Hightower to participate.

The
meeting comes in response to two disqualifications at the USA Indoor Track
& Field Championships last month in Albuquerque, N.M. that prompted a
backlash from athletes questioning the fairness of the process.

For those who haven't been paying
attention, the first disqualification occurred in the women's 3,000-meter
final. Apparent winner Gabe Grunewald was disqualified by the meet's jury of
appeal hours after the race, and following several appeals, for impeding Jordan
Hasay of the Nike Oregon Project.

In the second case, Andrew Bumbalough
of Portland-based Team Schumacher was disqualified in the 3,000 for
interference, although independent reviews of the race video can't locate where Bumbalough
is involved in anything that looks like a foul.

However, Bumablough's teammate, Ryan Hill, who is
similar in size and build, does cut in front of the Nike Oregon Project's Galen
Rupp late in the race while trying avoid being boxed in on the rail.

To date, Bumbalough still is listed as disqualified in
the official results. USATF has declined to explain to him or his agent what he
did to earn the DQ or where in the race he did it.

Both
disqualifications were because of fouls allegedly committed against athletes
from the Nike Oregon Project, coached by the hard-driving Alberto Salazar.
That, coupled with the fact that Nike is a prime sponsor of USATF, fed into
conspiracy theories and struck a nerve with athletes in the sport both at the
meet and watching from a distance.

Both
DQs were widely publicized and questioned on running and track & field
websites. Athletes took to social media to vent. After the women's 1,500 final
on the next day, a number of athletes held hands as they walked off the track
in a form of silent protest.

Hasay,
who made Team USA to the World Track & Field Championships as a result of
Grunewald's disqualification, withdrew the protest that led to the DQ. That
allowed USATF to reinstate Grunewald, but it didn't dampen the firestorm.

"Any
time you have a national championship with world qualifying berths on the line,
athletes will want to make sure they are getting a fair shot at making the
team," said Jonathan Marcus, who is Portland State's distance coach, coaches
elite runners, and has been involved with USATF in several capacities.

"You're talking about professionals whose
livelihoods are on the line," Marcus said. "There are bonuses for making a
world championship teams

Marcus
was at the USA Indoor and saw both 3,000 races. While declining to criticize
any of the individuals involved, he did have questions about the fairness of
the two DQs.

So
did the TFAA, which responded with a petition asking that USATF allow two TFAA-appointed
representatives to monitor appeals and protests at U.S. championship meets. The
petition has nearly 1,000 signatures.

"We're
not asking to participate, just observe the process so the athletes have
somebody looking out for their interests," Nelson said in a telephone interview
last week. "So they know that whatever the impact of the decisions, the
decisions are made according to the bylaws of USATF or whatever the governing
body."

At
the moment, Nelson said, "there is an inherent distrust of the system."

Adam Nelson/2008Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian

Perhaps
the distrust is merited. Perhaps it's unfair. Pulling back the curtain at least
would end the mystery.

That
would seem to be good for everybody.

"I
think it's to their benefit," TFAA treasurer Ann Gaffigan said of USATF
administrators and meet officials, "as well as ours to add a layer of
transparency and accountability."

Marcus
hopes the talks go further, and include the possibility of using multiple
replay cameras at a variety of angles, so that any questioned call could be
examined closely.

"If
I'm in a USATF office in Indianapolis, I'm investing in resources and high
definition cameras for every national championship race, indoors or outdoors,"
he said. "You have athletes competing who will have real-world consequences for
how they do."

It's
hard to say where the meeting between the TFAA and USATF might lead.

But
call it a victory for common sense and fair play.

Whatever
is said and wherever the discussions go, it's a small but significant step in
the right direction.